RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Aug.19: As visibility is reduced in the forest area during the rainy season, security personnel have started an operation in the Burhapahar area located on the Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh border.
It is an interstate operation in which as many as 40 companies of CoBRA, CRPF, IRB besides regular jawans of the Jharkhand Police and the Chhattisgarh police are taking part. Earlier, an operation of such a big scale had been carried out in 2018 during which as many as six police personnel were martyred.
The operation is being monitored from the state police headquarters and so far there is no information of any major breakthrough.
A police official said after the arrest of Mithilesh Mehta, who was active in Burha Pahad area, and surrender of Vimal Yadav, the security forces have got information about the area and thus planned this campaign. Presently the location of forces engaged in the operation is Bahertoli in Jharkhand and Bhutahinala in Chhattisgarh.
So far information coming from the area suggests the locality is under the command of Maoist Markas Baba alias Saurabh, who got the charge after the arrest of Mithilesh Mehta, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 25 lakh over his head.
Markas Baba alias Saurabh is a member of the CPI-Maoist organization’s Bihar, Jharkhand, North Chhattisgarh as well as Uttar Pradesh committee. He also carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh over his head. The Jharkhand government has announced the reward.
He originally hails from Aurangabad district of Bihar and has been camping in the Burha Pahar area since early 2021. Along with this, the commander was assisting Mithilesh Mehta and Naveen Yadav.
According to the information, Markas Baba was made in-charge of Burha Pahar for a few months after Sudhakaran, a rewarded Naxalite worth Rs one crore, surrendered in Telangana. It is worth mentioning that from the Budha Pahar, the Maoists conduct activities in the areas like Palamu, Garhwa, Latehar, Gumla, Simdega and Lohardaga besides other adjacent areas.
A police official said the operation was considered important as it came to the knowledge of the government that Maoists are planning again to make Burha Pahar a formidable launching pad of their violence in Latehar, Garhwa etc as this Pahar is an interstate one linking Latehar and Chhattisgarh.
When the Jharkhand Police’s IG (operation), A.V. Homkar was contacted, he declined to comment on the operation. He declared, “Operational information is not disclosed.” He dodged the question by replying, “Operations are not carried out after giving information like this,” when asked whether he confirms the start of the operation.
